Sezin Yigit is a seasoned food and agtech innovation strategist and currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Akorn Technologies. Akorn is dedicated to helping growers, packers, and distributors meet their quality goals, extend the reach of their products, and reduce food loss through innovative solutions such the edible food coating. In her role, Sezin leads the company’s technical strategy, driving R&D, product development, and scaling operations to deliver impactful results in the food supply chain.
With a career rooted in fostering growth and innovation, Sezin collaborated with startups to accelerate development through funding strategies, R&D initiatives, and structuring technical growth stages. Her past contributions include guiding pilot plant build-outs at and spearheading non-dilutive fundraising and product management efforts. she previously co-founded Mori, a silk based food packaging startup, and played a pivotal role in addressing global food waste and sustainability challenges. During her tenure, she spearheaded R&D, oversaw product pilots, managed production scale-ups, chaired the regulatory technical committee for FDA GRAS approval, and contributed to the development of the company’s IP portfolio.
Sezin is also the FoodHack Boston host, where she builds communities to highlight food tech solutions tackling the climate crisis. In this role, she fosters connections among innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to inspire collaborations that drive meaningful change in the food and sustainability sectors.
Sezin holds a BS and MS in Chemistry from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and earned her PhD in Biotechnology and Chemistry from Tufts University, where she worked under the mentorship of Dr. David Kaplan. She completed her postdoctoral studies in Cell Biology at Yale University School of Medicine, further honing her expertise at the intersection of biotechnology and innovation.
Based in the Boston suburbs, Sezin balances her dynamic professional life with a vibrant family life. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen alongside her husband and two young children, discovering new textures and flavors. When not exploring playgrounds, children’s museums, or their “kitchen lab,” they relish traveling and reconnecting with friends worldwide.
Sezin’s career is a testament to her commitment to fostering innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in the food and agtech sectors while actively addressing the global challenge of climate change.